summer scents.

top fragrances for this beautiful time of year.

1. jo malone -  wild bluebell cologne

bluebells, persimmon, lily of the valley & eglantine

[especially great for the summer because it's light, sweet & floral]

2. s & p factory - neroli

this is a beautifully simple scent that will take you from summer to fall 

[i like to combine it with #3]

3. issey miyake -  l'eau d'issey body lotion  

lotus, cyclamen, freesia, carnations & white lillies with amberseed & musk 

[layered with #2]

diy. stella mccartney resort 2014 inspiration.

kerry washington at the teen choice awards 2013 in stella mccartney resort 2014

i can't decide if i love this or hate this, but it looks super easy to diy.

all you need is a pale pink dress, some random bling to attach (old earrings, cut up a bracelet etc), 

beads to create the match stick and other shapes, and a few heart/lip patches that you can easily get on the internet. search for "beaded applique's" too, you will get more options. 

examples: 

crystal hearts

 heart appliques

lips patch

diy doughnut sweater.

enjoying a peach yeast doughnut at the doughnut plant on grand & essex today, 

contrary to my lackluster expression - it was AMAZING!!! 

supplies:

1 grey sweater/sweatshirt

(mine cashmere blend from uniqlo for $30)

1 standard piece of felt - pastel pink

various round objects to trace circumference 

safety pins for placement

an assortment of tube beads, sequins and seed beads

1 bead needle, 1 embroider needle

1 white skein of embroidery floss

i just learned the definition of the word skien***

A length of thread or yarn wound in a loose long coil

those wrapped colors of embroidery floss are indeed called skeins

MORE AFTER THE JUMP

flower district. peonies & roses.

diy leather collar.

materials:

thrift store leather to repurpose

black felt

e-6000 craft adhesive & wooden sticks

fabric scissors

black embroidery floss & needle

hook & eye for closure

8 swarovski 3240 sew on stones in jet black

& approximately 40 black tube beads

MORE AFTER THE JUMP

workshop. MOCA X Swarovski X HocusKocis

  Last month, I was so excited to teach my first workshop at the MOCA! Based around an exhibit showcasing chinese american designers, "front row" served as inspiration for a day full of DIY accessories & jewelry.  Making the day extra special, the super nice people over at Swarovski Elements were generous enough to help us out with some beautiful crystals to adorn and attach to our accessories. Here are some highlights from the event!

    

rainbow sprinkles.

post lunch snack. forbidden fruit in the west village.

white chocolate covered banana and rainbow sprinkles. 

moca.

hey guys! just wanted to share with everyone a special side project that i've been working on. i will be (expertly) facilitating a DIY day with the Museum of Chinese in America on July 13. i'm super excited to share my ideas with everyone (note that the event is limited to youth). So send me your little sisters or check back soon for photos. 

diy. chanel espadrilles.

summer flats made easy.

uber expensive chanel espadrilles for just over $22.

SUPPLIES

1. a spool of thread and a needle

2. a chanel logo print out to be your stencil

3. old denim (color of your choice)

4. sharp scissors

5. aldo touggourt flats in navy & white 

on sale for $22.48

MORE AFTER THE JUMP

coney island mermaid parade.

my first mermaid parade. 

everything i imagined it would be.

but the best part was the mix of beach goers.

1/3 people from the city

1/3 people from coney island etc.

1/3 mermaid freaks

watching a posiedon emerge from the ocean was certainly a sight.

© Kevin Sauer

rich bitch.

finally got to see bling ring last night! 

it opened today but usually (at least in new york, all movies come out at 10pm the night before).

i love this Tough Talk Tom Binns necklace that they stole from Paris Hiltons house, but it has a hefty price tag. $1665 here. likely won't have a chance to DIY it, but I will certainly look into it.  

#mhnails

Mara Hoffman 

inspired manicure!  

I hardly have time for anything these days but a little birdie told me that Mara Hoffman was having a contest and the winner would receive a $250 Mara Hoffman gift certificate! So i figured I'd make a play and try to win a bathing suit.  That being said - I am certain this isn't a winning look BUT I had fun doing it.  There are some amazingly talented nail artists out there.  If you want to see the other entries search #mhnails on instagram.  

top picks:

thatjanedesigns

pamsandkin

minimoogs

yeshands

missnarie

chelseaqueen

ciaomanhattan2012

Mara Hoffman Blog

i missed macaron day.

i managed to avoid the flu for the entire winter until the bitter end...

last day of winter/first day of spring, it got me. 

luckily it only lasted for approximately 36 hours - but it sadly 

forced me to miss macaron day in nyc. what a bummer.

to make matters worse my thermometer 

($3 from the chinese market) only read in celsius - 

and probably inaccurately at that. if my conversions were correct,

my core temperature hit 38.7c or 101.77f - super fun!

i will eat macarons tomorrow.

watercolor by 

Lucile's kitchen ©

available on etsy

$25

22k gold.

ciate: sand dune (base color)

opi: goldeneye (top color)

gold leaf: 22k gold (overlay)

vial sold at the evolution store for $10.00

base and top coat of your choice.

i use nailtiques formula #2 for all topcoats

directions: 

apply your base, 1 coat of sand dune, 2 coats of goldeneye & wait for it to mostly dry.

pour out some gold leafing onto a sheet of paper. wet your index finger and touch a few flecks.

they will stick to anything - then transfer the gold to your nail. it will stick long enough for the 

top coat to be applied (i used two). 

 

29.

it's my birthday!

via because nothing is prettier than pink

bead goddess. alexandra rothwell.

stunning strings of beads - color coded to perfection.  

major lust-worthy beadwork & my favorite accessory.  new york & martha's vineyard based jewelry designer alex rothwell customizes your new favorite spring/summer accessory to compliment your skin tone/hair color or whatever color combo you might be into this season. warning: it can be addicting.

lucky for you she's currently taking custom orders.

Alexandra Rothwell

 easily creates the most unique works of art that hang from your earlobes

center: mermaid abyss {i own these}

ambitious baking. blueberry ombre.

the most ambitious cake i ever made. 

ingredients:

2 boxes of vanilla cake mix

2 boxes of vanilla frosting

4 cups of blueberries 

eggs, water & oil (as directed on the box)

* i substitute apple sauce for oil

1. in a large bowl mix all of the ingredients together as directed on the box.

or make a cake from scratch if you have time for that. (i do not)

2. i ended up using four cups of blueberries in total - 

but simmered them on the stove in 3 different batches. 

I threw in some water & sugar cubes initially but it was probably unnecessary.

cook the berries on the stove until the you see a deep purple liquid.

3. slowly add the blueberries to the cake mix until you get your desired shade of blue.

pour into a round cake pan & bake. repeat the process for all layers adding more blueberries to each layer. cook time will increase for each batch. my top layer was very dense with blueberries.

full disclosure: 

this cake took like 4 hours to make because i was rotating cake pans (having only 2).

i was trying to have it done in time for an oscar party and probably could have cooked some layers for a little bit longer. it ended up falling over after i cut into it. but does not mean it was not AMAZING!

it was AMAZING. definitely needs some tweaking but it's a pretty simple concept.